A doctor who was expected to begin his internship has been indicted after allegedly threatening a pharmacist with a knife when told that the prescription drugs he requested were not in stock, then stealing medication from another pharmacy the following day.
According to the indictment, the doctor arrived at a pharmacy in Jaljulia and asked for Lyrica and Percocet. When the pharmacist told him the drugs were unavailable, prosecutors say he pulled a kitchen knife from his pants pocket and moved toward the pharmacist behind the counter.
Doctor charged with threatening pharmacist with knife over prescription drugs
The pharmacist pushed him back with a chair, and a physical struggle broke out between the two, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said the pharmacist managed to knock the knife out of the doctor’s hand.
The indictment also alleges that as the doctor left the pharmacy, he took several products from the store.
The next day, according to prosecutors, the doctor went to another pharmacy in central Israel and demanded certain medications. When he was told they were not in stock, he allegedly said that did not interest him and that the drugs should be handed over.
Prosecutors say he then reached over the counter, took medication that was near pharmacy employees and fled on foot.
He was charged in connection with both incidents with unlawful possession of a knife, threats and theft.
Police in the Central District said operational activity led to his arrest and later to the filing of the indictment.
Alongside the indictment, police asked the court to keep him in custody until the end of legal proceedings. Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court Judge Dan Bauman ordered his release to house arrest after accepting arguments from his defense attorney.
“In light of the respondent’s normative background, and because the court was positively impressed by the supervisors during the hearing, I found that there is no need to request a probation service report, which could take up to six additional weeks,” the judge wrote in his decision.
The doctor’s attorney, Yair Ohayon, welcomed the court’s decision to release his client despite the seriousness of the allegations.
“This is a normative person, an intern doctor, who is not involved in the criminal world, and the court’s decision shows that he does not pose a danger,” Ohayon said. “The legal process is at its beginning, and we are confident that the full circumstances will become clear as the proceedings continue.”